


Somewhere Called Home

by Meringue_Unicorn



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: AU, Confessions, Eventual Shakarian., F/M, Nothing to do with the trilogy but stealing elements from it, Slower burn than originally anticipated, Smut, This has absolutely no plan, Who knows where it will go next, more tags to be added as the story continues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2019-11-14 02:17:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 19,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18043577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meringue_Unicorn/pseuds/Meringue_Unicorn
Summary: Shepard works from Elysium. She runs her own business, but things are not going as well as she had hoped and she is in danger of losing everything she has worked so hard for. All she needs is that one big job to get her back on her feet. When it finds her, will she be prepared for what comes next.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey. So, I've had this profile for a while and thought it was about time I posted something. Can't guarantee regular updates (sorry) but I will do my best. Anyway, I hope you enjoy what you read. 
> 
> If you have any comments, good or bad, please send them my way. :)
> 
> N.B. THERE IS A LINE IN CHAPTER ONE THAT HINTS AT SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. GIVEN THE CONTEXT, HOWEVER, I HAVE NOT ADDED TRIGGER WARNINGS TO THE TAGS. IF ANYONE THINKS I SHOULD, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LET ME KNOW.

Forehead resting against the cool glass of the cracked window, Kiara looked down on the people going about their lives below her. She was starting to think that setting up her business on Elysium had been a mistake. Jobs were few and far between. Aliens mistrusted her because she was human, and humans mistrusted her because she was willing to work with aliens. For a colony that prided itself on its diversity, there was a lot of barely hidden hate and racism. Even among the various alien races. That she had seen fit to hire a turian was, well… it was not something that had gone down well with her neighbours.

‘Do you need me to stay?’ the turian asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Closing her eyes, she exhaled slowly; warm breath fogging the glass. ‘I don’t think we’re going to get anyone walking in now.’

He nodded, knowing she would see his reflection in the glass. ‘Don’t stay too late. I don’t need to walk in and find you crashed out at your desk again.’

‘I won’t,’ Kiara replied, turning to look at him over her shoulder.

She watched him as he walked from the room, and as the door closed behind him. Damn it! She hated lying to him, but if it meant only one of them couldn’t sleep for worrying about where the next pay check might come from or how they were going to continue paying the rent on the office… If she could protect him from that, she would lie to him until she was blue in the face. Besides, it wasn’t like she had a home to go to. The apartment she’d had, she had been forced to sell to keep the business afloat for a few more months. After that, if nothing changed, she didn’t know what she was going to do.

Sitting at her desk, she took a swig from the cheap bottle of whiskey she kept in one of the drawers. It tasted awful and burned as it slithered down her throat, but it was the best she could afford.

‘ _How easy it would be to open the first aid box and wash my troubles away in river of drugs and alcohol_ ,’ she thought lazily as she screwed the top back on the bottle and returned it to its drawer.

It was not a serious thought, just one that flitted through her mind from time to time when things seemed hopeless. On the whole, she wasn’t one given to fits of melancholy and despair. Everyone had their moments, though. Their thing that made them peer into the depths of the deepest, darkest ocean and see something warm and inviting.

*****

She woke to the sound of a repetitive low-toned beep and a flashing green light on her computer’s keyboard that showed she had unread messages. Sitting up straighter, she rolled her shoulders to try and alleviate the dull ache that had settled between them and tapped the button to turn the computer on.

There was just one new message in her inbox, aside from the usual array of spam she seemed to receive every day. It was from her assistant. Frowning, she scrolled down to the e-mail and clicked on the icon to open it. She would be seeing him again in the morning. What was so urgent that he needed to message her.

**Shepard.**

**Can you come to my place? ASAP.**

Kiara was on her feet and pulling her jacket on before the computer had shut down. His apartment was not that far. She could be there in ten minutes. Less, if she ran. She wondered why he hadn’t included more details. Was he in trouble? Had someone forced him to send the message to lure her there? Stopping at the door, she turned around and returned to her desk. She had never much liked guns, but she kept one for protection. So far, the only place she had fired the infernal thing was at the range. She might not like guns, but she was sure as hell going to make sure she knew how to shoot someone if the need arose.

*****

In the end, it took her seven minutes to reach the apartment. She hadn’t run, but she had walked at a quicker pace than normal. Using the code for the electronic lock, she let herself in; gun at the ready.

‘I don’t think you’ll be needing that,’ her assistant laughed. ‘He’s in no fit state to take on a quarian with a chest infection at the moment.’

‘He?’

‘Yes, he. I… Ah! I forgot! We thought it best not to send details in case anyone was listening in… so to speak.’

‘He? We? Can you _please_ tell me what is going on?’

The turian nodded. ‘Long story short: I was throwing some food together when I heard something fall against the door. At first, I thought it was just another drunk. Something didn’t feel right, though, so I went to investigate. He’s in the second bedroom, with that salarian doctor who fixed me up.’

Kiara shook her head in disbelief. Mordin was there? She hadn’t seen him in almost a year. This was not the time for a trip down memory lane, however.

‘You still haven’t told me who _he_ is,’ she commented, glancing through the door and along the corridor that led to the bedrooms.

‘I don’t know yet. He’s turian and pretty banged up. The doc said something about the next day being critical. If he can get through that, I think he has a chance. Otherwise…’

Hand on his shoulder, Kiara nodded understandingly. He had seen more than enough of his people beaten to within an inch of their lives. Usually, by her people. Humans. Sometimes, she wondered how he could even look at her without feeling anything less than total and utter disgust.

‘You want me to stay?’ she asked. ‘I remember your sofa being quite comfortable.’

He held her gaze for a moment, a hundred words spoken in just that one look. They had found each other when they had both needed someone to lean on. Theirs was a strange relationship, but it worked.


	2. Chapter 2

Perched on the edge of the bed, Kiara watched the injured turian as he slept. He had made it through the first night, and the first day. No-one had been able to speak to him, however, as Mordin was keeping him in a state closely resembling a medically induced coma.

‘Who are you?’ she whispered, her voice barely audible even in the silence of the room. ‘Where did you come from?’

Those were not the only questions she had, but they were the only ones she was going to voice aloud at that particular moment. The others could wait until he was awake and lucid; able to give her the answers she needed.

She let her hand rest on his, just as she had the previous night. ‘You… I can’t say you look better - honestly, you look like someone threw you into hell with both hands tied behind your back - but you feel better. Warmer, I mean. You were so cold last night, it was… well, it was touch and go whether you would make it. I’ve seen more than enough death during my lifetime, I… Thank you for not adding to that list.’

Removing her hand from his, she slid from the bed. ‘I should leave you to rest. Mordin will rip me a new one if I don’t, and I imagine you must be getting fed up with listening to the human talking when you can’t tell her to “shut the hell up”. Before I leave, though, I feel I should introduce myself: Kiara Shepard, at your service.’

She bowed dramatically, smiling to herself as she did, and left the room. Late as it was and tired as she felt, she knew she would not be able to sleep just yet. Perhaps there was something lying around the apartment that she could look at. It would have to be something with pictures; a magazine or similar. She could read the turian language, a bit (Palaveni, her assistant had called it) but not well enough to tackle a book. One day, maybe, but not just yet.

‘Visiting our guest again?’ her assistant queried as she entered the lounge. ‘Keep this up and people might start to talk’.

‘More than they do already, you mean.’

She took a seat by him on the sofa, curling her legs up beside her.

‘You will make a habit of associating with turians,’ he teased. ‘Hiring one was bad enough. Imagine the uproar when they hear you’ve been nursing an injured one.’

‘There’s still time to dump him back out on the streets.’

Her assistant laughed and draped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her toward him. People talked about them, gossiping about how close they were. Neither cared to pay any attention to their words, save for when the threats began. Despite the rumours, they really were “just good friends”.

*****

The injured turian sat up slowly and looked around. He was obviously in someone’s bedroom, but whose? And how had he got there? More importantly, how long had he been there? Careful not to make too much noise, he climbed from the bed. Gingerly, he touched his fingers to the injured side of his face; growling in response to the pain that accompanied the action. He felt bandages. Someone had patched him up. The human? Or had he dreamed her? Was she nothing more than a voice his mind had devised? Why a human, though? Why not a turian? And why the name Kiara in particular? He didn’t recall hearing the name before, or reading it anywhere.

Opening the door, he stepped out into a short hallway. The door at the end of it was open, leading to what appeared to be a lounge. It was as good a place as any to start his search for clues.

He stood with his hand hovering just below the sensor for the light. Someone, or something, was in there with him. Dropping his hand to his side, he turned slowly and peered into the shadows. Something - someone, he corrected himself - was sleeping on the sofa. Carefully, he crept closer. A human. The human? Perhaps. She certainly smelled the same: vanilla and honey and just a hint of… turian? Strange, though not so much when he stopped and thought about it. The apartment screamed turian, from the pillows on the bed to the lingering aroma of dextro coffee hanging in the air. What was she doing there? A servant? He knew some turians still had human servants, though the tradition was quickly losing its appeal. Also, the apartment didn’t feel like the sort of place where you would expect to find such workers. A guest, like him? That made more sense, or it would have done had they been somewhere that wasn’t Elysium. The Citadel, for example, where interspecies friendships and relationships were more accepted.   

When she opened her eyes, he stood his ground. What else was he going to do? Make a quick exit and pray to the spirits that she thought she was dreaming?

‘Hey?’ she mumbled sleepily, sitting up and moving to one side of the sofa. ‘Sit down. I imagine you’ve got some questions. I know I have.’

He looked at her for a moment, his eyes searching her face for answers to the questions he had yet to ask.

She patted the sofa beside her, reaffirming her invitation. This time, he sat.

‘You’re Kiara,’ he said.

‘Kiara Shepard,’ she confirmed. ‘And you are…?’

‘Garrus. Garrus Vakarian. How long have I been here?’

‘This is the third night. Mordin put you into a coma, more or less, to give your wounds a chance to heal. There’ll be some scars, but you look like you could carry them.’

‘I’ll take that as a compliment,’ Garrus chuckled

‘Good!’ Kiara laughed. ‘And now I’ve buttered you up, how about telling me what happened to you?’

He searched her face again. His eyes caught hers and, for a moment, glacial blue held fiery amber. Could he trust her? He didn’t know, but if what she had said was true then he had been there two days and nothing untoward had happened to him.

‘I was tasked with investigating one of my own men. I thought I’d covered my tracks, but he found out and lured me into a trap.’

‘Reading between the lines, I’m going to hazard a guess that you were supposed to die. Either that, or he faked his own death and set you up as duty scapegoat in the process.’

‘Either way, he knows me well enough by now to know that I’m not going to stop until I find him.’

‘You have any leads? Any places to start?’

‘Nothing yet.’

Kiara nodded, thoughtfully. ‘Then, let me help you. I know who to talk to, who to lean on and who can be bought. I also know who to avoid… for various reasons.’

Garrus sat in silence, thinking over Kiara’s offer. He didn’t want to drag anyone else into his mess and put them in unnecessary danger. Yet it would be nice to have someone to bounce ideas off now and then, or simply to rant to at the end of a stressful day. She seemed easy enough to talk to, and… and was he truly considering this? Going into a partnership, of a sort, with a human he had only just met? It seemed he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not entirely happy with this chapter, but after several re-writes I decided it wasn't going to get any better anytime soon. Hope it doesn't sound too awful, and don't forget to send your comments my way. :)


	3. Chapter 3

Kiara boarded the shuttle and scanned the faces of the passengers already on board. Garrus was sat at one end of a row of seat, the two seats next to him left empty. This was exactly what they had hoped would happen… and why they had chosen a shuttle they knew would have primarily human travellers.

Stepping over outstretched legs and bags that had been left in the way, she made her way over to Garrus and sat down beside him. As expected, some of the other passengers were giving her “looks”. The rest were doing their best to act as though she was not there at all. For a second, she contemplated leaning her head on Garrus’ shoulder. She was not sure how he would take that, though, so she didn’t. The thought of how the other passengers would have reacted to so scandalous an action still brought a smile to her face.

‘Can I ask you something?’ Garrus queried as the shuttles engines kicked in.

‘Go ahead.’

‘How did a human on Elysium end up with a turian assistant? There are humans on Elysium who have turians working for them - menial jobs and things they don’t want to get their own hands sullied with - but you and Kaeso, you have a different kind of relationship. He seems more a friend than a simple employee.’

‘Short version. I was in a bad place and he was in some trouble. I helped him, and he’s been helping me ever since. And no, he’s not a friend. He’s family. The only one I’ve got.’

Garrus nodded and turned to look out through the window. He knew there was more to the story, but he wasn’t going to push for more information. Theirs was a new… friendship? Perhaps he would feel able to use that word one day, but for now partnership sounded more appropriate.  

He watched as Elysium receded into the distance, growing smaller and smaller until it disappeared from view altogether. Leaning back in his seat, he breathed a sigh of relief. The first part of this journey was done, sort of. They had left Elysium behind, and maybe now he could bury his feelings long enough to focus on what needed doing. They still couldn’t discuss their next move, however. Not until they reached their destination: Terra Nova. The colony was human-centric (a lot like Elysium) but it did not have the same racial problems. At least, not on the same scale. There was likely not a mixed-race colony anywhere that did not have some racial or social tensions of some description. Including the Citadel.

‘I’m going to get some shut-eye,’ Kiara told him. ‘Wake me if anything happens.’

She curled up in her seat as best she could. It was not comfortable, and she didn’t have a desk to lean on, but she would cope. Her last thought before sleep took her was of Kaeso. She knew he would be alright and that he would do everything in his power to keep the business afloat. There was no-one she trusted more than him, except maybe Mordin. He would not let her down.

*****

When Kiara opened her eyes again, she found her head was resting against the turian’s chest; his arm stretched out along the back of her seat. Mumbling an apology through a stifled yawn, she sat up and glanced out through the window. The shuttle was - for all intents and purposes - in the middle of nowhere. All she could see were stars. Thousands of them, scattered haphazardly across the empty void. Lighting the way for weary travellers.

‘Nothing interesting happened, then?’ she asked, sleepily, fairly certain she already knew the answer.

Garrus shrugged. ‘Well… there was an ambush by the rachni and two-dozen protheans turned up for tea and cake, but nothing worth waking you for.’

‘Anything else?’

‘That man has been scowling at you the whole time you were sleeping. As I said: nothing worth waking you for.’

Kiara turned her gaze to the man Garrus had spoken of. Quickly, he averted his gaze. Kiara frowned. A comment was right there on the tip of her tongue, but she refrained from speaking it aloud. They were on a shuttle, a confined space. Garrus had managed to get past security at Elysium with little or no hassle - she would enquire about that later, perhaps - but she did not want to draw undue attention to him.

‘We should grab a drink when we get to where we’re going,’ she suggested. ‘Take a moment to unwind while we can. Once we open the gates, who knows what might come pouring through.’

‘This isn’t some game!’ Garrus hissed angrily. ‘I’ve already…’

Kiara held her hands up to quiet him, before too many started listening in. ‘I’m not saying we go out, get drunk and drag a hanar home for an impromptu threesome. I’m suggesting we take an hour. Maybe two. Have a drink and collect our thoughts.’

Garrus thought for a moment, then nodded. Wasting more time was not his first choice of things to do, but taking time to take stock and go over what he knew… That was an idea he could get behind. So long as the first round was on her… and she stopped mentioning threesomes and hanar in the same sentence. There were some images he most definitely did not want floating around in his mind, and that one was right up there in the top three.

‘I know a place,’ he said. ‘Small. Out of the way. And, so long as you don’t cause trouble, no-one there gives a damn who you are or who you happen to be sharing a drink with.’

‘Sounds perfect.’

Leaning back in his seat, Garrus closed his eyes. It was going to take several hours to reach Terra Nova. He didn’t feel tired, but logic told him he should rest while he had the chance. Once the hunt started in earnest, once his quarry realised he was hot on his trail, who knew when he would get the chance to do so again.


	4. Chapter 4

Garrus stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around his hips and walked through to the bedroom.

‘Shower’s free,’ he announced.

Kiara hummed an acknowledgement under her breath, her mind elsewhere. 

On arriving at Terra Nova, their first task had been to find somewhere to stay while they were there. The easiest option was a hotel, and the cheapest option had been to get a twin room. Also, it made sense for them to share a room. They would need to discuss things about the case; sometimes in the middle of the night or whenever ideas or memories cropped up. Taking separate rooms would mean going back and to between them, and potentially disturbing the other guests.

‘Something bothering you?’ Garrus asked, moving closer to where she was sitting.

‘What? Oh! No. Sorry. I was miles away. Kaeso sent a message. He’s taking some time off to go and visit some old friends on Palaven.’

‘I thought he was born and raised on Elysium?’

‘Well… yes, there is that. There is also the slight problem that these friends don’t actually know him yet. But you’ve met him. He’s very… likeable.’

Garrus shook his head, confused. ‘So, he’s going to a place he’s never been to in order to visit friends he hasn’t made? I’m not misunderstanding anything… Spirits! He’s going to see my family, isn’t he? But why?’

Kiara looked up at him now, her expression one of amused disbelief. ‘Why do you think? With everything that is going on, you want your family to know you are alright… don’t you?’

She stood and walked past him, heading for the bathroom. Garrus watched her go. Had Kaeso done this on his own? Or had she said something to him before leaving Elysium? To be honest, he didn’t care. There was no way he could contact his family himself. Not as things stood. To know someone was going to at least try to contact them, to let them know what was going on, that was a weight off his mind. 

Unzipping his bag, he took out the bottle of pills Mordin had left him with. Removing the lid, he tipped one into his hand and swallowed it down with some water. The pain was bearable most of the time. Other times, it felt like someone was holding a branding iron to his face. 

He waited a few minutes for the medicine to take effect, then quickly dried off and got dressed. He didn’t have many clothes with him, just a few things Kaeso had let him borrow. They were pretty much the same size, so the fit was good.

Kiara stood in the shower cubicle, warm water running through her hair and down her body. She could still smell the soap the turian had used. It was an aroma she couldn’t place; herbal and medicinal. Almost like tea-tree, but nothing like it at the same time. There was a warmth to it. A hint of spice. Like cookies at Christmas.  

*****

The club was indeed small, and out of the way. Garrus had not been lying about that. Given the way the bartender had watched them as they approached, Kiara wasn’t as convinced that the people there didn’t care who they were or that they were together… in a manner of speaking. 

‘Beer?’ Garrus asked her when the bartender got around to serving them.

She nodded and Garrus placed their order. Two beers; one dextro and one levo. He made sure to be specific. Some bartenders, he had noticed, had a habit of just grabbing bottles off the shelf with little to no thought who they were serving them to. 

Drinks in hand, they found an empty table and sat down.

For a few minutes they drank in silence, trying not to think about what lay ahead. The atmosphere between them was comfortable. They felt no need to fill the air with pointless words that meant nothing to either of them.

Half-way through her bottle of beer, Kiara sat forward in her seat and rested her forearms on the table. ‘Tell me about this person you’re looking for.’

Garrus did not answer straight away. What did he really know about his quarry? They had worked together for months. When he had been ordered to look into him, he had refused to believe he would be involved in anything illegal. Even now, he had trouble accepting that his friend was behind the attack that had nearly killed him. 

‘His name is Lantar Sidonis, but I don’t imagine he will be calling himself that anymore; a turian, like me. We’d worked on the same team for seven months. He was a hard worker. Diligent. Conscientious. Always ready to step in for someone else if they had somewhere else they needed to be.’

‘Sounds like a saint.’

‘Saint Sidonis!’ Garrus snarled, derisively. ‘Guess the people were right when they said there’s a “Fine line between saint and sinner”.’

‘Any family or friends outside of work?’ Kiara asked, wanting to keep him on track now that he was talking.

‘None he spoke of. And he’s not stupid enough to run to them. No, he’d go elsewhere. To someone he thinks we wouldn’t suspect. So… If you were on the run and you didn’t know who you could trust; where would you go?’

‘That’s easy. The one place I have a profound connection to, which is also the one place I never talk about: Home. My childhood home. Not Elysium.’ 

Garrus nodded. ‘We need to find out everything we can about his past. Where he was born. Where he went to school. The name of his first pet, assuming he had one. Everything.’

The conversation turned to more general things. Small talk, some would call it, but not the usual drivel about the weather and some film no-one had seen but everyone knew enough about to pretend they had. They discussed provisions they might need. Getting clothing and other supplies, and what they were going to eat for supper that evening. Neither of them really cared, so long as it wasn’t another nutrient bar. 


	5. Chapter 5

Two days on Terra Nova and their search was bringing up nothing. Garrus had noted down everything he could remember Sidonis ever telling him. After sorting everything that could be verified from that which couldn’t, they weren’t left with much to go on. What they needed was access to the databases Garrus used for his work. They would be able to find all the information they needed there, but it was risky. It was still not clear why Garrus had survived. If he was supposed to die, Sidonis would likely have some sort of alert set up that would tell him if Garrus’ personal password was used. Assuming he had a personal password. If he was being set up, other people would likely be aware of his supposed crimes by now and have a watch on the same databases. Either way, they would be treading dangerous waters taking that route.

Frustrated, Garrus paced the hotel room. He felt he had been down this road before. Many times. Each time the twists and turns seemed to be slightly different, but it always ended with him banging his head against the proverbial brick wall. 

‘I’m going to get some air,’ he stated some minutes later.

Kiara looked up from her laptop. ‘Want me to come with?’

Garrus shook his head. He needed some time alone, away from everything and everyone related to the search. 

At the door, he stopped and looked back into the room. ‘Thank you.’

‘For?’

‘For this. For helping. You didn’t need to.’

‘Yes, I did,’ Kiara whispered to herself once the door had closed behind him. 

She returned to her laptop, doing random searches on the names Lantar and Sidonis. It was a longshot, but there was a slim chance he was still using one of his names. 

After hours of looking, her eyes feeling tired and grainy, she closed the laptop down and got up from the seat. Her legs felt like they hadn’t been used in days. She looked out through the window. It was growing dark outside and Garrus still wasn’t back. She told herself she wasn’t worried, even as she scanned the streets for anyone who looked like him. 

‘ _ Kaeso would have a field day, watching me now _ .’ she thought, laughing to herself.

Of course! That was it! The possible answer to their predicament. The databases couldn’t be accessed using Garrus’ login information, but what if someone else could. She didn’t think Kaeso would know anyone who could help them, but Mordin might. The laptop was on the dressing table, right where she had left it. She could message him now and see what he had to say. But, no. She should wait until Garrus returned from wherever he had ended up and discuss the matter with him first. 

Lying down on the bed nearest the door - fingers interlaced behind her head - Kiara stared up at the ceiling, thinking. Sooner or later the turian was going to start asking questions. Personal questions. How much was she willing to tell him. More importantly, perhaps. How little would he accept?

*****

Kiara woke in the middle of the night. She rolled over onto her side. Garrus’ bed was empty. Still. Where the hell was…

She sat up quickly as the door opened, preparing herself to flee or fight or receive yet more unwanted news. 

When Garrus staggered in, she breathed a sigh of relief… and then got angry.

‘Where the hell have you been?’ she yelled, getting right up in his face (or as much in his face as was possible, considering the height difference). 

‘Out!’ Garrus responded, shoving her to one side.

‘And that’s it!? You leave me sitting here for eight bloody hours! Not knowing if you were dead or alive or… It didn’t occur to you at any point while you were out, evidently enjoying yourself, that I might be a good idea to send a message!? You didn’t think that I might…’

‘Might what!? Might want to check up on me!? Make sure I’m going to be home for…’

He narrowly dodged the laptop that was hurled at him.

‘Of course! Go on! Make fun of the human woman who was stupid enough to care what might have happened to you! You really think you’re the first one to do so!? Don’t flatter yourself!’

She turned and stormed out of the room. If she could have, she would have slammed the door behind her. Sadly, sliding doors made that impossible.

Garrus stood in the middle of the room, staring at the door, hands clenched into fists. How dare she just walk out on him like that! How dare she… He sighed heavily, shoulders sagging. He wasn’t angry at her, she had just been a convenient target. Someone he could take his frustrations out on. She hadn’t deserved that. 

He walked over to where the computer lay in pieces on the floor. Picking each one up, he turned it over in his hand. The thing was old… and sturdy. Given an hour, he could have it back together and working more efficiently. It certainly couldn’t get much less efficient.

Clearing off the dressing table, he set to work. He didn’t have his usual array of tools with him, but what he had would suffice.

When Kiara walked back into the room, Garrus was sitting on his bed. He watched her as she went to her bed, avoiding his gaze. She was barefoot. He hadn’t noticed that when she had left the room.

‘I owe you an apology,’ he said. ‘For earlier. You were right. I should have let you know I was alright. And I shouldn’t have taken out my frustrations on you.’

‘No, you shouldn’t,’ Kiara replied, finally turning to face him. ‘But I understand.’

‘There’s something else. I took the liberty of putting your laptop back together. The processor should…’

Kiara threw her arms around him and kissed him. It was impulsive, and nothing more than a quick press of lips to his mandible. 

‘Sorry,’ she laughed, embarrassed. ‘That was… that was unprofessional. It’s just, that laptop means a lot to me.’

Garrus coughed to clear his throat, and to give him a second to compose himself. ‘As I was saying, the processor should work more efficiently too. 

Kiara thanked him, apologising once again for the impromptu kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

Afterlife was… interesting. That was about the best thing Kiara could say about it. The dancers were all asari, the bartenders all glowered at her as though she had “leper” scrawled across her forehead, and the music was too loud to hold anything even closely resembling a conversation. All in all, it was a lot like the clubs back on Elysium. She did not frequent them much either. Garrus, on the other hand, seemed more relaxed than she had seen him in days. More than she had ever seen, truth be told. He sat in his seat, legs stretched out before him, looking for all the world like he’d just won the lottery or something. The reason they were there? Kiara had given Garrus a rundown of her idea, and he had agreed that it might work… if Mordin knew someone. It turned out that Mordin did know someone, and that someone had agreed to meet them in Afterlife. 

‘Any idea who we’re waiting for?’ Garrus asked, glancing toward the dance floor.

‘Mordin said they would find us,’ Kiara replied, voice raised. ‘And don’t let me stop you.’

‘Stop me…?’

‘You look like you want to go and join those asari, dancing. Or, maybe something else.’

Garrus turned more toward the table and took a swig of his drink. He had no interest in asari. At least, not in the way she seemed to be suggesting. In truth, he had never ventured outside his own race. He was not going to tell her something that personal, however. Not when he hadn’t known her all that long. Also, he was having trouble forgetting the kiss. It had lasted for less than a second and there had not been an ounce of romantic intention in it, but her lips had felt soft and oddly warm against his mandible. The sensation had not been unpleasant, and his mind had started trying to imagine the same feeling on other non-plated parts of his body. His neck, for example. 

He shifted in his seat, trying to get comfortable… and his mind on something else.

‘Tell me about the computer,’ he said, scrambling for a topic to try and focus on. ‘You said it was important to you?’

‘It is. I… My father bought it when I was eleven. That would be twelve years ago now. It was old, even then, but it was the best he could afford. Afterwards, it was the only thing still intact. 

‘Afterward?’

‘I was…’

‘Shepard?’

‘Who’s asking?’ Kiara queried. 

‘Kasumi Go…’

‘A thief?’ Garrus scoffed. ‘Your salarian friend sent a thief?’

‘A master thief,’ Kasumi corrected, taking a seat at the table.

Garrus shook his head and opened his mouth to protest the woman’s potential involvement in the mission.

Kiara stopped him before he could utter a single sound, by placing her hand on his arm and drawing his attention to her.

‘Would you excuse us for a minute?’ she asked, addressing Kasumi. ‘There are some things we need to discuss.’

Before the thief could answer, Kiara pulled Garrus from his seat and away from the table. She wasn’t overly enthralled with the prospect of working alongside a master thief either, but what were the options? Refuse her help and let Sidonis get away with what he had done. Surely accepting Kasumi’s help was the lesser of the two evils when weighed side by side.

*****

‘You trust her?’ Garrus asked Kiara as they were leaving the club.

‘I don’t know. Mordin obviously does though, or why would he have sent her, and…’

‘And you trust Mordin,’ Garrus finished. ‘I get it. I do. But… my career is built on stopping people who make their living off other people’s misery. It doesn’t feel right to bring someone like that in on the mission.’

‘Yet, it might be the only way to get what we need,’ Kiara reminded him. ‘Speaking of which; you don’t think she might still be around, do you? You were looking elsewhere when she left, but that suit has some sort of cloaking technology.’

Garrus tapped the side of his visor and looked around. “Cloaking” could hide you from a physical scan (i.e. looking with your own eyes) but it couldn’t lower or increase body temperature to help you blend in with the environment on a thermal level.

‘Looks like we’re clear’ he said, returning the visor to its default setting.

Kiara smiled, relieved. One day, she was going to have to find out more about that visor and what it was capable of. Being able to see people using cloaking technology could be extremely handy.

In near silence, they walked back to the apartment they were staying in. Occasionally, they shared a few words. Nothing that could really be classed as a conversation, though. 

The apartment itself was small and dingy, and there was only one bed; something they had not thought to ask about when renting the place. They were going to have to share. Not a problem for Kiara. Thanks to Kaeso, she was used to being in close proximity to barely dressed turians. Garrus, on the other hand, was not so familiar with humans. 

‘Is this going to be a problem?’ Kiara asked, nodding toward the bed. ‘If it is, I can take the sofa.’

Garrus looked past her. The sofa was, like the apartment itself, small and dingy. It sagged in the middle and the colour was something he could only describe as “sludge with a hint of krogan vomit". He wouldn’t let his worst enemy sleep… Actually, yes he would. He would most definitely let Sidonis sleep there. It was much more than the bastard deserved.

‘I think I’ll manage,’ he replied. ‘Given your stature, the bed should be plenty big enough.’

‘My stature? And just how long have you been studying “my stature”?’ 

‘You’re smaller than me, that’s all I meant. A quick glance would tell anyone that.’

Kiara took a step toward him. ‘So… what? You think you’re going to get the majority of the bed and covers, just because you happen to be bigger than me?’

‘I… ah…’

‘Relax,’ Kiara laughed. ‘I’m only messing with you. Guess I forgot you don’t know me as well as Kaeso does.’

‘Tell me something about you then.’

‘Such as?’

Garrus thought for a moment. ‘Such as: Where are you from?’

Kiara sat on the foot of the bed, thinking. Answering this one question was going to lead to more. She knew that, and she knew those questions would bring up a lot of painful memories. Facing them again was going to be tough, but she had done it before. She could do so again.

‘I was born on Mindoir,’ she told him. ‘And before you ask; yes, I am  _ that  _ Kiara Shepard.’

‘That’s where all the money came from? The books that were written about the attack?’

‘The money came from other colonists. Farmers, like my father. I’ve never picked up one of those books that claims to be a true account of my life, and I don’t intend to.’

‘And after Mindoir?’

Kiara looked up at the turian. ‘I think it’s my turn to ask you a couple of questions, don’t you?’

They talked into the small hours of the morning. Kiara discovered that Garrus had not served his allotted fifteen years in the turian military, choosing to leave early instead and follow his father’s footsteps into Citadel Security Services. This was allowed as it was still serving the community. Garrus found that Kiara had spent four years on Earth following the attack on Mindoir, with a foster family, and he told her that things were strained between him and his father. He had not elaborated on why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all those who have read so far: Thank you.  
> It's great having you along for the journey, wherever it may lead.


	7. Chapter 7

Garrus woke in the morning to find Kiara curled up against his side, her hand resting on his chest. He was suddenly glad that no-one was likely to walk in on them. This was one compromising situation he might have a hard time explaining away, especially considering the state of undress they were both in. Neither of them were fully naked, but neither were they that far off. 

He lay where he was for a while, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about nothing in particular. Absentmindedly, he played with her hair. She kept it short, each strand no more than an inch or two in length. The colour was a warm honey brown. She moaned softly in her sleep as his talons moved over her scalp. Did humans enjoy that? Turians most certainly did, though not on the top of the head so much as on the exposed skin at the back of the neck. And now his mind was off doing its own thing again, imagining - or trying to imagine - things that it had no right to. He needed a shower. A cold one. Thankfully, the shower in the apartment did not seem to know the meaning of the word hot. 

When he returned from his shower, Kiara was sitting on the edge of the bed.

‘Sleep well?’ he asked, profoundly aware that he was wearing nothing more than a towel.

Kiara nodded, stifling a yawn. ‘How’s the water?’

‘Cold.’

‘Well, it will wake me up at least. Give me a minute and I’ll be out of your hair, and you can get dressed in peace.’

She rummaged through her bag, grabbed her washkit and headed into the bathroom. 

Garrus watched her go; trying not to focus on her ass… and failing miserably. What was wrong with him? Had she been turian, he would have come to the conclusion that he found her attractive and acted accordingly. Maybe asked her out for a drink or something. But she wasn’t turian, she was human and… and what did that matter? 

He sat on the bed, occupying the space Kiara had vacated. Somewhere in the back of his mind a voice was suggesting that he might want to take this opportunity to put some clothes on. 

‘I…’ Kiara began, her voice trailing off when she spotted Garrus sitting on the bed. ‘Going for the natural look today, huh?’ she asked in place of what she had been going to say. ‘I’m sure Kasumi will appreciate that. She should be here in… Ah, that will probably be her now.’

Garrus turned quickly, staring at the door. He’d completely forgotten about the thief’s scheduled visit.

Kiara walked past him, a smile on her lips. 

‘Wait!’ Garrus exclaimed, reaching out to grab her arm. ‘You can’t… I’m not… ‘

She deftly side-stepped him, her smile broadening. ‘You look fine to me.’

Before he’d had time to react, Garrus saw that Kiara was almost at the door. Scooping up a handful of clothes, he ran for the bathroom. As the lock engaged, he could hear Kiara and Kasumi talking on the other side of the door.

‘Only one bed, huh?’ the thief noted. ‘If you need me to take a raincheck…’

Kiara laughed. ‘Nothing happened.’

‘Want me to go away and come back again, say in half an hour?’

‘That’s alright,’ Kiara said. ‘I don’t have time to waste on wants. I need the information from the database.’

Kasumi looked up and smiled. ‘That’s all done. I’ve transferred everything to your omni-tool; file name: Rose Red. 

She left then, saying no more than she would be in touch when the time was right. 

*****

Eating take-away - which was surprisingly good, considering where they were - Garrus and Kiara looked through the file Kasumi had left. It had all the information Garrus had wanted, but it still didn’t tell them where Sidonis might have gone. 

‘Any other ideas?’ Kiara asked, reaching for the bottle of wine they were sharing and pouring some into a chipped mug.

‘One. But you’re not going to like it.’

Kiara leaned back against the sofa, thought better of it and sat forward again. ‘Tell me.’

‘We get Kaeso to ask around a bit; say he’s looking for an old friend from boot camp, or a friend of the family. He would need to put Sidonis’ last known location as the Citadel. He had an apartment there, and…’

‘Why didn’t you mention this earlier?’

Garrus shrugged apologetically. ‘I completely forgot about it. It was his father’s. Where he stayed when he was “entertaining” potential clients. I believe it’s still registered in his name. Let me…’

Turning the laptop so it was facing him, he entered the details for the property. ‘Damn! He’s put it on the market.’

‘Looks perfect,’ Kiara commented, viewing the screen over Garrus’ shoulder. ‘Perhaps we should go and view it. Need to make sure there’s room for the children.’

Garrus choked on the mouthful of wine he’d just taken. ‘For the what?’

‘For the children,’ Kiara repeated, laughing. ‘All the little ones we’re planning on adopting. I mean, we need some reason to be buying something so spacious. Might as well be that as anything.’

‘You think the agent would believe that tale?’

Kiara looked at him, smiling that all-knowing smile again. ‘Does it matter? While they’re busy trying to work out if they heard correctly and picking their jaws up off the floor, we’ll be inside taking a look around. When people leave in a hurry, they always forget something.’

It was a good plan and while Kiara got in touch with Kaeso, Garrus contacted the agent in charge of showing the house and arranged a viewing for three days time. It would be tight, but there was a shuttle leaving the next day. If they were on it, they would make the meeting. 

Just after midnight, they climbed into bed. Garrus lay on his back, his head turned toward Kiara. She was staring up at the ceiling, but her focus was somewhere else entirely.

‘Is everything alright?’ he asked quietly, reaching out to touch her hand.

She let out a long slow breath, as though she was composing herself. ‘I told you about Mindoir. I was thirteen when the attack happened. I had a brother. Did I mention that? John. He was six years younger than me. My mother’s miracle child. After me, she had been told she couldn’t have any more, you see. That night, he was scared. Father told us to hide, but he… he ran. The batarians found him. They were… He was screaming. Screaming like I have never heard before. Crying out for mother and father. I… There was a gun in my hand. Father’s maybe. I… I don’t remember. I meant to kill the batarian. I… John would have been seventeen today, had he lived. Almost a grown man.’

Laughing disparagingly at herself, she rolled over onto her side. ‘I’m sorry. I…’

‘You don’t need to apologise,’ Garrus told her. ‘We all have our things that haunt us.

Kiara glanced at him, wondering what his thing was.


	8. Chapter 8

Standing on the shuttle bay, Kiara turned slowly on the spot as she tried to take in everything that surrounded her. Throughout her life, she had heard various stories about the Citadel - some believable and others, not so much - but she had never seen the place with her own eyes. 

‘I take it this is your first time here?’ Garrus asked, barely hiding his amusement at her childlike enthusiasm.

‘Is it that obvious?’ Kiara laughed, now standing still.

‘Not at all. Those people staring at you, there just checking you out. Trying to work out what you are.’

Kiara laughed harder. ‘Bastard!’ she said, punching him on the arm.

Garrus grinned at her, picked up both their bags and walked off. Kiara trotted after him. She wasn’t sure where the sudden bout of chivalry had come from, but she wasn’t complaining.

They got through security with minimal fuss, and then took a taxi to the hotel Garrus had booked them into. Needless to say, it was a lot nicer than the apartment on Omega. 

‘Room for Shepard,’ Kiara told the human receptionist.

The woman looked up for a second, and then returned to her computer. Some seconds later, she looked up again. 

‘It was a double room?’ she asked, her eyes flitting between Kiara and Garrus.

Kiara nodded. 

The receptionist tapped a few more keys on the keyboard, then asked Kiara to place her hand on the scanner. 

‘Biometric locks,’ Garrus explained.

‘I’d worked that out,’ Kiara said, rolling her eyes.

‘You haven’t been together long, have you?’ the receptionist asked.

‘Long enough,’ Kiara replied, lifting her hand from the scanner when the instructions told her to. ‘But there are still things to discover.’

‘Room four-twelve,’ the receptionist said, smiling. ‘Enjoy your stay here.’

They took the lift up to the fourth floor and found their room. 

‘Damn!’ Kiara exclaimed, looking out the window. ‘That view is amazing! If I ever do get married - not that I have any plans to do so anytime soon - I am definitely booking this room for the night.’

Garrus coughed nervously, clearing his throat. ‘Speaking of which, we should ah… go over a few things. If we want the agent to believe we’re together, we might have to… “act the part”, so to speak.’

Kiara turned to look at him. ‘Where do you want to start.’

He took a few steps forward and stopped in front of her. Hooking his finger under her chin, he tilted her head back a little and touched his forehead to hers.

‘That would be your equivalent of a human kiss,’ Kiara stated, looking at him. ‘A moment of intimacy, shared between lovers.’

‘Kaeso, huh?’

‘He told me about the gesture, but that was all. We’ve shared a lot of things, including a bed from time to time, but nothing has ever happened between us. I think we’re too close for that… if that makes any sense. But enough of that. I believe it’s my turn to give you a lesson now.’

Curling her fingers over the front of his cowl, she gave a gentle tug downwards and moved her other hand to the back of his head. She smiled, briefly, then pressed her lips to his mouth. He growled softly, hands moving to her back. 

Seconds later, Kiara pulled back; panting slightly. For someone who had never kissed human style, he was pretty damned good.

*****

The apartment was amazing. Picture windows looked out over the Presidium. There were no shutters or blinds, but the glass could be tinted from a light amber to a dark smoky brown. The kitchen had been newly refurbished and came with all the latest mod-cons and the bedrooms had been kitted out to the highest standard, but there was still plenty of opportunity for potential buyers to put their own stamp on the place.

‘Feel like checking out the bed?’ Kiara whispered to Garrus, sliding her hand into his, making sure her voice was just loud enough for anyone else in the bedroom to hear.

‘Was it something I said?’ she laughed less than a minute later when everyone had cleared the room.

They started searching; looking through the drawers and the bedside units first, before moving on to the walk-in wardrobe. In case anyone was outside the door, listening, they occasionally spoke a more suggestive line a little louder. Garrus had barely contained himself when Kiara had replied, ‘Just shove it in somewhere and get on with it’ to his question regarding where he should put an item of underwear he had found hiding under the bed. It had not been the nicest thing to find, but it had given then hope that the cleaners might not have been as thorough as Sidonis might have hoped. 

The door opened and the agent walked in, staring between Kiara - who was sitting on the bed, buttoning her shirt - and Garrus, who was looking out at the view.

‘You look flustered,’ Kiara commented, getting to her feet and walking toward the door. She patted him on the shoulder as she passed by him. ‘Perhaps you should sit down. The bed is very comfortable.’

She stopped at the door and looked back over her shoulder. ‘Darling? Are you coming?’

When they arrived back at the hotel, Garrus locked the door and put the few papers they’d found on the bed. They hadn’t yet looked at them, but there was something he needed to discuss with Kiara first. Something that had been playing on his mind for some time now. 

‘Can we talk?’ he asked.

Kiara turned to face him. ‘Sure. What about?’

‘This thing between us. This partnership. Working together. I’m grateful for the help, but why would you volunteer to help me in the first place? You know… you knew nothing about me.’

‘Truthful answer? I was being selfish; using you. My business is failing. I needed something to give it a boost, something that would let people know that I could help them. You were… you were the solution, the answer to my prayers. If I could help you with this, who couldn’t I help?’

Garrus poured a drink from the mini-fridge, and one for Kiara. That was not the answer he had expected, but it made a strange kind of sense. In her shoes, he might even have done the same. 

‘You look disappointed,’ Kiara noted, taking her drink from him. 

He supposed he was, a little. At some point he’d got it into his head that she had offered to help because, well… because she harboured feelings for him. Stupid, he knew. Yet, there it was. 

‘No, not really. I…’ Spirits, this was awkward. ‘We should take a look at those papers, from the apartment, see if there’s anything useful in them.’

Going via the bed and picking up the papers, he settled down on the small sofa. Kiara sat down next to him, leaning across him to place her glass on the coffee table. When she leaned back, his arm was around her waist. She glanced at him, then leaned her head against his shoulder. There were many times when she had sat like this with Kaeso, but this time it felt… different. 


	9. Chapter 9

The flight seemed to take forever. Or maybe it was more the prospect of returning to the scene of the crime that made it appear so. Reading through what they had found in the apartment had told them nothing other than Sidonis might visited a club on Elysium some months prior to the attack. It seemed almost impossible that he could have planned everything so far in advance - and there was still a small part of Garrus that did not want to believe it - but it was the only clue they had. It was why they were, against their better judgement, returning home. Well… Kiara was, at least. Garrus was just tagging along with her; hoping they found something there that would point them where to go next. No offence to the people who lived there, but Elysium was not a place he would choose to stay any longer than was absolutely necessary. 

‘Mordin’s going to meet us at the docking bay,’ Kiara announced casually, some hours into the flight. ‘He has a way to get you through security. He says it’s still tight, but you’re going to have to trust him.’

Garrus nodded. ‘I trust you, so I guess that’s the next best…’ He broke off, turning his attention to the woman and young child sitting across from him. ‘You should also know that turians have better hearing than humans too!’

The woman glowered at him, holding her son’s hand protectively ‘And that gives you the right to intrude on other people’s conversations?’

‘It does when your entire conversation, for the past ten minutes, has been about me,’ Garrus replied, calmly. ‘If the boy has questions, let him ask me. At least then he might get a more accurate answer.’ He turned his attention to the boy. ‘Yes, I could do a lot of harm with my talons. They are weapons, of a sort, but that is why we tend to wear gloves. Especially when out among other people.’

‘Can I see them?’ the boy asked, the expression on his face caught between hope and anticipation.

Garrus looked to Kiara. She knew these humans as well as he did, but they were her people. It was rare for anyone, though humans in particular, to ask a turian to remove their gloves. She would likely have more insight into how he should respond than he did.

She thought for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. On the one hand, the boy could reach out and grab at one of the talons; potentially losing a finger or two. On the other, he wanted to know more about this alien race. Was it her place to deny his inquisitive mind the answers it sought.

‘I think you should be alright,’ she said finally. ‘So long as the boy promises to remain in his seat.’

The boy nodded eagerly, eyes wide.

Kiara turned her attention to the boy’s guardian. ‘You agree also? The boy remains in his seat. If he gets up and gets injured, that is on you and him.’

The woman looked at the boy and nodded with the attitude of someone who knew she would never hear the end of it if she didn’t acquiesce to the request. 

When the boy was properly seated, Garrus peeled off one of his gloves. Some turians filed their talons to make them more acceptable to the other races. Not him. With the job he did, he needed every advantage he could get. If he was backed into a corner, no guns or knives to hand, he was going to use what nature gave him.

The boys eyes were wide with wonder as he watched Garrus turn his hand over, make a fist and then open his hand again.

*****

As expected, Mordin was waiting for them when they arrived back on Elysium. He greeted Kiara warmly, quietly sneaking a capsule into Garrus’ hand as he did so. The turian, catching on quickly, feigned a cough and swallowed the tiny tablet. The effects were almost immediate. His vision blurred. He felt weak, barely able to stand on his own two feet. And his head felt about ready to split open. He growled in pain, trying to focus on the salarian. Had he been poisoned? No, Kiara would not allow that to have happened. Yet…

The remainder of the thought dissipated as he hit the deck. Blurred figures moved around him. He tried to focus, to hear what they were saying, but the harder he tried, the more distant their voices seemed to become.

He woke, lying on a table in a small clinic, feeling just fine. Kiara was pacing the room at the foot of the bed, and Mordin was busy doing whatever he was doing. He was also talking to himself. Loudly.

‘It worked then?’ he asked.

Kiara turned quickly on her heel, shock and relief fighting for control of her features. ‘I… Mordin feared you weren’t going to wake up.’ 

‘Mordin, huh?’ Garrus laughed, grinning. 

‘Yes!’ Kiara agreed, forcefully. ‘Mordin. You’ve met him before. Salarian. Saved your…’

Garrus laughed even harder.

‘Will leave you to talk,’ Mordin announced, stepping back from his work. ‘Have things I need to do. Elsewhere.’

Sitting up properly, Garrus swung his legs over the side of the bed. ‘I guess Mordin told you what he found.’

Kiara walked to the bed and hoisted herself up onto it. ‘With his background he’s been able to ingratiate himself into the investigation a little. He found something at the site of the explosion; the one that nearly killed you. It’s not much and, well… it might be nothing at all, but…

She handed him a small clear plastic pouch, much like the ones C-Sec used for collecting evidence. Inside was a charred fragment of paper, with a partial number still visible.  

‘Mordin ran some test,’ Kiara continued. ‘This paper was not burned in the explosion, but there are traces of the same chemicals on it. Given where it was found, in an area Mordin informed me would have been sheltered from the explosion, it seems unlikely that this is coincidence.’

Garrus stared at the numbers on the charred piece of paper, willing them to give up their secrets. The sequence looked to be a contact number, but whose?

‘Still here,’ Mordin said, walking back into the room. ‘Good. Good. Have more to tell you. Miss Goto produced list of names from numbers. Filtered list. Reduced number of names to sixteen.’

Garrus looked at the list. One name stood out amid all the others. It looked like they were going to be heading back to Omega, but not straight away. They needed to  look more into this, ensure they were on the right track. Their last visit had been brief, only a matter of days. Not much time to get on someone’s bad side. This time, he would not want to leave until he knew he had what he was going there for.

They would need to tread carefully. 


	10. Chapter 10

Kaeso stood in the kitchen, sipping a mug of coffee, watching Garrus and Kiara as they conversed at the kitchen table. Something had changed between them. There had been a shift in the dynamics of their relationship. Events from her past notwithstanding, she had always been a very tactile person. Even when she was talking to someone she really couldn’t stand, it wasn’t unusually to see her hand touch their arm throughout the conversation. With Garrus, though, each touch seemed to linger. Of course, this could be nothing more than his imagination. 

Garrus was so much easier to read. His sub-vocals weren’t exactly shouting out his feelings for all and sundry to hear, but he had more urgent things occupying his mind to worry about silencing them completely. Put simply, he felt an attraction to Kiara but was unsure how to go about letting her know… or even if he should. 

When Kiara left the room, Kaeso took her place at the table. ‘You should tell her.’

‘Tell her what?’

Kaeso laughed. ‘Turian here. She might not be able to hear your sub-vocals, but I sure as hell can.’

Garrus took another sip of his drink. He really should tell her how he felt, but he couldn’t get past the fact that she was human. There wasn’t anything racist to these thoughts, more the fear that this was nothing more than a boyish infatuation. Something that would fade the moment they got together.  _ If  _ they got together. He didn’t want to hurt her like that. She deserved better.

On the flip side; what if this was real? What if he was squandering the best thing to come into his life because he kept second guessing himself? Yes, she was human. She was also honest, loyal, supportive, open-minded and fun to be around. Were she turian, he would have asked her out for a drink or something weeks ago. 

‘You boys getting along?’ Kiara asked as she walked back into the room.

‘What else would we be doing?’ Kaeso asked, feigning indignation. 

‘Any number of things,’ Kiara replied. ‘I can give you a list, if you like.’

‘You have me there,’ Kaeso agreed. ‘But if you must know, your friend here was asking about the local clubs. Wanted to know if there was anywhere the two could grab a quiet drink without risk of being beaten to a bloody mass. I was about to suggest Cross when you walked in.’

‘Cross, huh?’ Kiara mused, thoughtfully. ‘It’s not to everyone’s taste, but it certainly fits the bill. I guess I’ll go and get changed.’ She turned her attention to Garrus. ‘You might want to do the same; armour will get you turned away at the door.’

Garrus glanced at Kaeso, then got to his feet. He had two civilian outfits with him, just in case. One of them should be suitable. Perhaps the darker one; midnight blue with a silver-grey trim. More than one female turian had paid him a compliment when he had worn it in the past. Maybe it would have the same effect on a certain female human.

*****

‘Enjoying the view?’ Kiara asked, watching Garrus as his eyes moved across the dance floor.’

‘It’s alright,’ he admitted, recovering from the shock of seeing an elcor and a hanar in what he could only think was supposed to be an intimate embrace. Either that or the hanar was trying to suck the elcors face off. 

‘Not enough turians for you?’

‘I’m based on the Citadel. For reasons I haven’t yet discovered, female turians are few and far between there. Seeing three in the same room…’

‘Huh? I guess this be like Christmas for you then? I count four on the dance floor alone.’

Garrus laughed. ‘That’s some human holiday, right? I’ve heard people talk about it. Families get together and exchange gifts to celebrate the life of someone who may or may not have lived thousands of years ago.’

‘I guess you could describe it like that,’ Kiara agreed. ‘But why are you still sitting here? “Christmas” is right over there. On the dance floor. The taller one was checking you out when we walked in.’

Picking up his drink, Garrus relaxed against the back of the sofa. He watched the turians on the dance floor a while longer, but he felt no inclination to get up and join them. Why would he, when all he could think about was the woman sitting next to him? He was going to have to swallow his fears and come clean… and pray he wasn’t making a complete ass of himself. 

Spirits! Why did he feel he was once more on his way to tell his father he was going to leave the military early. That conversation had been awkward, to say the least. His father had threatened to disown him. In hindsight, that might have been better than the constant messages reminding him what a disappointment he was. None said so outright, but he could read between the lines.

‘I, ah… think I’ll stay right here. With you. I was hoping we could talk.’

‘About?’ Kiara queried, turning so she was looking directly at him.

‘About me. Us. Spirits, why is this so hard. Since our visit to the Citadel, I’ve been having trouble staying focused on the mission. My mind keeps wandering to other things. Well… to one other thing, if I’m being honest. You.’

‘Me?’

Garrus nodded. ‘We’ve shared a bed, as friends, but… I want more than that. I don’t know if this is simple curiosity or something more, but I do know I’ve never felt like this about any other human. I…’

Kiara pressed a finger to his mouth. ‘Then we should go and find out, don’t you think? Wouldn’t want the mission to go awry because your minds dwelling in the gutter somewhere.’

Taking his hand, Kiara led him through the club to a back entrance. Outside, he looked around and tried to get his bearings. Kiara kept leading him along the streets. It took a minute or two for him to realise they were heading for her office.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last... the smut!!!!!   
> ; )

Kiara locked the door, then joined Garrus in the middle of the room. He turned to face her; eyes roving over her still clothed body. She smiled up at him, reassuringly, her hand going to the zipper that held her top closed. Slowly, she edged it down. He watched, captivated by the deliberate movement of her hand. It was torturous how slow she was going. He wanted nothing more than to tear the top from her and feast his eyes on what lay beneath, but the agony of being forced to wait was its own form of pleasure.

At the last moment, she turned from him and let the garment fall to the floor. She smiled at him over her shoulder and sashayed away, wriggling out of her trousers as she went. His eyes went straight to her ass, and any thought he might have had of taking things slowly went right out the window. 

In three strides, he had caught up to her. His arm circled her waist, his hand on her flat taut stomach, and he pulled her against him. Teeth grazed her shoulder as his free hand roamed down over a breast. She sighed softly at the contact; the sound becoming more guttural, more… primal, when a talon scraped slowly over an erect nipple.  

She turned to face him, her hands easily finding the hem of his shirt and slipping underneath. He’d woken, more than once, to find her hand resting on his chest. That had felt nice. Comfortable. This was… this was so much more than nice. 

Nimble fingers worked their way up his body, urging him to lose the shirt. He complied, without question, watching the way her eyes moved over him. When was the last time anyone had looked at him like that? He couldn’t remember. Was it that girl back at boot camp? Or the one when he was in his first year at…

He growled softly when her fingers curled around him; moving slowly along his length. The sensation was so different to when he pleasured himself. His fingers were dry and a little rough. Hers were soft and supple and damn did they feel good. It would be so easy to close his eyes and give himself over to the ecstasy building inside him. 

Nails scratched at the sensitive skin on the back of his neck. He lifted her, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist. She grunted in pain as her back slammed into the wall; lips pressed to his mouth. Talons shredded shorts, allowing the ruined garment to fall to the floor; leaving her naked. 

Garrus pulled back from the kiss; dipping his head to lathe his tongue across her nipples while his fingers explored that hidden treasure at the apex of her thighs. She was so warm. So wet. So inviting.

Each soft sigh that fell from her lips was music to his ears. Each animalistic moan he coaxed from her was like ambrosia to the gods.  

He brushed his thumb over her pearl, slowly and deliberately; applying varying degrees of pressure as he moved in circles over that prized gem. 

‘Please,’ she murmured, breath growing more and more erratic by the second. 

He stopped what he was doing, lifting his head to look her in the eye. ‘You’re sure about this?’

Kiara nodded. ‘I’m sure.’

He entered her slowly. Carefully. Taking the time to let his body savour this new sensation. She felt so good surrounding him, he thought he might come undone right there and then if he dared to move. 

He pressed his forehead to hers, watching his own fingers as he toyed with her nipples; scratching and pinching and rolling the ever-more sensitive skin. 

Her hand moved down between her thighs. He watched her pleasure herself for a few seconds before trapping both her wrists in one hand and holding them above her head. With his other hand, he pinched and rolled her gem between finger and thumb. 

‘More,’ she begged, eyes close. ‘Plea… Mmmh… Goddamn that’s… Don’t…’

She tried to buck against him, to grind herself harder into his hand, but she was pinned. Unable to move. She was being torn apart, cell by cell; safe and protected in her lover’s arms. Ecstasy and agony writhed and danced inside her. Pleasure and pain in perfect harmony. She wanted release -  _ needed  _ release - but she fought against it.

He moved inside her, pulling out slowly and then pushing back in. Every fibre of his being screamed at him to move faster, to seek out and find that perfect moment of bliss. To locate that point where one more step would send him plummeting over the edge of the cliff and into the depths of euphoria. 

*****

Kiara lay in his arms, trying to catch her breath, sweat glistening on her naked body. She shivered as he traced a talon along her side; his other arm wrapped around her, the hand resting on her thigh.

‘That was… That was amazing,’ she panted, her head resting on his chest. ‘Why the hell didn’t we do this earlier?’

Garrus chuckled; the deep rumble reverberating through her, sending waves of pleasure through her over-sensitised body. ‘I guess we’ve got some catching up to do… whenever you’re ready. Just give the word.’

‘Ready to go again already, are you?’ Kiara quipped.

In response, he moved her hand down to his already-hard-again shaft.

‘Fuck me, that’s fast!’ Kiara exclaimed, the words out of her mouth before she’d had time to assess them. ‘Most men I’ve been with, I could have nipped down the road for take-away before… You probably don’t want to hear about that, do you?’

The turian sighed contentedly as her fingers danced lightly along his length, nails scraping deliciously over every ridge. He thought of tedious things. The weather. Paint drying. Reams and reams of paperwork. Warm breath on his neck. Nails on exposed skin. The feel of her surrounding him. Enveloping him.    

She straddled him. Lowered herself onto him. His hands stroked along the inside of her thighs as she gyrated her hips against his, hands on his legs for support. 

He slid his hands up her body. The slightest touch on her nipples had her almost growling with pleasure. A heavier touch forced her breath to catch in her throat; the pain so euphoric she leaned into him, begging for more. 

She came quickly this second time, her body still not fully recovered from the first. He gripped her hips, talons piercing the skin, supporting her weight so he could ram into her. There was nothing controlled or slow about his movements this time. They were erratic. Desperate. Her name falling from his lips like a prayer. A plea. A wish fulfilled and a hunger for more. He wanted more. He most definitely wanted more. He wanted to see how far he could push her. How much pain could she bear before it became to much? How long could he deny her release before she would sell her soul for the pleasure being kept from her?. 

He would need to move slowly, pushing her just a little more each time until she found her limits. After all, his aim was not to harm her, but to find out how far he could take things before enough was enough. It would be a long road, but he was patient… and he had a feeling the wait would be worth it in the end.

Eventually, Kiara got to her feet and gathered her clothes. She fastened her top and shimmied into her trousers, and tossed the shredded shorts into the bin. For the first time in a long time she felt sated. Completely relaxed. She really should have done this sooner. Much sooner.

They left the office and made their way back to Kaeso’s apartment. Neither wanted to head back just yet, but it was getting late and Kiara knew he wouldn’t go to bed until she was back. 


	12. Chapter 12

Kaeso escorted Garrus and Kiara to the docking bay. Deciding it was better to head straight to Omega, with no stops along the way, they had managed to get tickets for a civilian transport flight. Last time Kiara had left the colony, he had only had time for a quick goodbye at the apartment before he’d had to head to the office and check everything was in order. This time he was determined to do it properly. He was going to stand on the docking bay, waving like a lunatic until the ship was out of sight. Maybe longer. And he didn’t care who might see him there. 

‘You keep looking at me,’ Kiara commented when Kaeso glanced at her for what had to be the twelfth or thirteenth time in less than half an hour. ‘Is my eyeliner smudged, or do I have something in my teeth?’

‘Neither.’

‘Then what’s got you so interested in me all of a sudden?’

‘You, ah… you keep smiling.’

Kiara stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face him. ‘What the hell do you mean, I keep smiling? I smile a lot. All the time.’

‘No,’ Kaeso replied gently, his hand on her shoulder. ‘You don’t. You smile when you think I’m watching you, trying to hide the doubt and the fear and the stress. I know the business is in trouble. I’ve known for some months now; before our friend here turned up. It’s good to see you looking happy. Genuinely happy. Not just because you feel you have to.’

‘If you knew about the business, why didn’t you say something?’

‘And have you fretting that I was going to leave you high and dry, on top of every other burden you’ve been trying to carry alone?’ Kaeso laughed. ‘I don’t think so.’ 

Garrus stood a short distance from them, watching a ship as it came in to dock. The colours marked it as asari, so not the ship they would be travelling on. There’s was a turian ship, roughly the size of a frigate. 

He could hear Kiara and Kaeso talking behind him. He tried not to listen into their conversation, but it was difficult not to hear what was being said. Besides, some of it was about him. All good, so far. That was a relief. 

Following a brief  discussion on the way back to the apartment, they had told Kaeso about the new development in their relationship on the night they’d first had sex. It had seemed only right, considering they had been staying at his place. And he was turian. He would have smelled the desire on them a mile away. He’d had a few questions and had fallen quite comfortably into the role of protective older brother, but Garrus had expected that. Kiara had already hinted (not so subtly) at how close they were. 

‘Enjoying the view?’ Kiara asked him, startling him slightly.

He looked down at her. At some point he must have zoned out the conversation and become caught up in his own thoughts, though he had no idea what those thoughts might have been.

‘Could be better,’ he teased, glancing down at the loose-fitting clothes she was wearing.

Standing behind them, Kaeso rolled his eyes and cleared his throat.

*****

Kiara looked out through one of the ship’s windows. More stars. She had nothing against them, but she wouldn’t complain if there was something else to look at. Something to break up the endless monotony. Back on Mindoir the fields had appeared to go on forever, but there had been a river and trees scattered here and there to add some interest. Out here in the middle of nowhere, there were stars, stars and more stars. Which was probably the precise reason so many people seemed to like it so much. There was an air of mystery and danger and, yes, even romance. 

‘Did they do something to you?’ Garrus asked, conversationally. ‘I only ask because you’ve been glowering at them for ten minutes now… give or take.’

‘I just don’t…’ She stopped, remembering what Kaeso had said to her about trying to be more open. ‘I told you a bit about Mindoir, about my brother. What happened after that is a haze. Sometimes I see flashes; fragments of memories that don’t make any sense to me. What I do remember is pain and shadows and whispers… and stars.’

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her. ‘They remind you of what you lost?’

She leaned back against him and closed her eyes; his mere presence grounding her, keeping her in the here and now. ‘Sometimes I think that. Other times I think that maybe they became the focus of my anger because they were the only constant in my life for… until I went to live with my foster family.’

‘You haven’t spoken much about them.’

Kiara laughed mirthlessly. ‘Yes, well… the less said about them the better. They… I want to say they stole from me, but technically I gave them the money. I thought it was to make improvements to the house, to make my stay there easier. When I found out the truth, I left and just kind of wandered for a while. That was when I found myself on Elysium. That was when I was sixteen. The rest, as they say, is history.’

Garrus swallowed down his anger. Even if he wanted to, there was nothing he could do right then and something told him Kiara would sooner leave the matter be than dredge old memories back up again. 

‘How about we talk about something else?’ Kiara suggested, catching his expression reflected in the window. ‘What was the first case you closed after joining C-Sec?’

For a while, Garrus was silent; thinking back to that first case. It had been a simple break-in. Nothing had been stolen and the perpetrator had all but left his name and address. Really, the amount of trace evidence he had left behind, he might have been better writing a letter of introduction and leaving it where it was bound to be seen. 

‘That might be better left until you’re having trouble falling asleep,’ he laughed.

‘That boring, huh?’

‘Worse.’

‘Then tell me about something more interesting. You must have had at least one or two cases that made an impression.’

Garrus fell silent again. There were a few cases that came to mind, but which would she find most interesting. In the end he opted for the sky car chase through the Citadel. It had excitement, danger, and a good ending with him as the hero of the hour. The man had been brought to justice and his actions had saved lives. What wasn’t to like about that?


	13. Chapter 13

‘And here we are, back in the ass end of hell,’ Kiara grumbled as she and Garrus walked into Afterlife. 

In the time they had been away nothing much had changed - not that she had expected it to have - but she had been hopeful that the music at least would have been updated. Or changed. Changed would have sufficed. But, no. Everything was still the same. It was almost as though they hadn’t left.

‘Still don’t like the place, huh?’ Garrus laughed, draping an arm around her shoulders. 

‘You do?’

‘I wouldn’t say I like the place, but work for C-Sec long enough and, well…’

Kiara moved her hand up to her shoulder and laced her fingers through his. ‘I feel the same way about Elysium. Sometimes. After so many years there… I don’t know. Sometimes all the problems there just seem normal. Like that’s the way things are meant to be.’

They ordered drinks, then took a seat at one of the tables. The plan was to have a few drinks while they waited for the guest of honour to turn up. Of course, he didn’t know he was a vip. Yet. He would find out soon enough, though. When the time was right.

‘So, tell me,’ Kiara said, pausing to pick up a glass and take a sip of drink. ‘In the office you seemed to know what you were doing, yet…’

‘Research,’ Garrus told her. ‘And an uncanny ability to read body language. Otherwise known as: When someone dislikes an action they tend to pull away from it, rather than push deeper in.’

‘Wasn’t that your role?’ Kiara teased. ‘Speaking of which; there is room for improvement. Nothing a bit more practise couldn’t solve.’

‘So…’ Garrus chuckled. ‘Your idea of flirting with me is to insult my sexual prowess?’

‘Is it working?’

Ducking his head, Garrus nuzzled her neck. ‘Definitely.’

Kiara shivered at the feel of his teeth on her shoulder; warm breath caressing her skin. Goosebumps prickled down her arm, from shoulder to wrist. She hadn’t had many lovers - usually, they were just one-night-stands - but she knew when she was onto a good thing. Why then, was that voice in her head warning her not to get in too deep? She already knew that once this was over he would likely go back to the life he had been leading prior to their meeting. This was what it was right now. Nothing more and nothing less. She would enjoy it while it lasted, but she was not going to fool herself into thinking this might be something more. Even if that was what she wanted - and she was not saying it was - she couldn’t ask that of him. She wouldn’t. She could never be that selfish. 

She could also, not imagine her life without him. If Kaeso was the old armchair you refused to get rid of because it had molded to your form over the years, Garrus was the new blanket you snuggled up in. Warm and safe and not entirely a part of you, but not entirely separate either. It was a bad analogy, but it was the best she could do on short notice.

‘I think our friend’s just arrived,’ Garrus said, nodding toward the main bar.

Kiara looked, found the man she was looking for and got to her feet. Now for the second part of the plan. Time for her to chat him up and get him to leave with her. They needed somewhere a little more private to talk.

*****

Standing close enough  to the man that he would notice her, but not so close it was obvious she had some ulterior motive, Kiara called one of the bartenders over and ordered a drink. From what Garrus had told her, she was going to need something strong to settle her stomach. She’d assumed he’d meant the man had peculiar tastes, but she’d been wrong. Already, the stench of rancid ale and body odour was assaulting her senses. The damn turian was probably watching her now, laughing his socks off. She was going to kill him when all this was over.

‘A sweet little thing like you shouldn’t be drinking alone,’ the man commented, watching her as she sipped her whiskey. ‘Why don’t I join you?’

Kiara smiled, shyly, not quite meeting his eyes. 

The man sidled closer to her. She tried not to breathe too deeply. Did he not believe in showers or deodorant? 

He insisted on buying her another drink once she had finished her first one. She drank it quickly, wanting nothing more than to get this over with so she could get away from him.

‘Do you, ah… Do you want to get out of here?’ she asked; smiling, even as she swallowed down the bile that was rising in her throat. 

The thought of spending any more time with this man made her want to vomit, but she knew she couldn’t back down now. This man - if he had the information Garrus thought he did - could be their best lead yet. The trick was getting him to talk. Garrus had told her he would deal with that part. She had not asked for more details. Sometimes, it was better not to know. 

The man followed her back to the apartment, too eager for what he thought was coming next to even consider this might be a trap.

‘Another drink?’ Kiara offered once they were inside, pouring herself one.

‘Never say no to a drink.’

Kiara nodded, glancing toward the door as she poured it. 

‘Sit,’ she told him, directing him to the sofa as she gave him his drink. ‘I’m just going to slip into something a little more comfortable.’

Forcing herself not to rush in her effort to put some space between them, she walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. Sitting on the bed, she reminded herself to breathe. She was going to need a long shower after this, and she didn’t care if it was cold. She would scour away the stench if need be.

‘Hey?’ the man called out. ‘What’s taking so long?’

She glanced at the bag on the floor, trying to remember what she had in there that might serve as “something more comfortable”.

‘I’ll just be a minute,’ she replied. ‘Help yourself to another drink while you’re waiting.’

A nightshirt! She had a nightshirt in there, the style with the buttons down the front. It was not sexy and it did nothing for her, but the length was long enough for her to maintain her modesty (while hopefully keeping the man interested) and the buttons did offer a sense of unwrapping a gift. The other choice was the oversized t-shirt she had worn on the journey there. Preferable, yes, but not likely to get anything close to the reaction she was hoping for.

Getting changed, she steeled herself and walked back into the lounge.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely not sure about this chapter, but - as with all the others - it was what came to mind while I was writing. :)

Garrus stood just inside the door, assessing the scene that had greeted him as he entered the apartment. The man was sitting with one hand on Kiara’s thigh. Kiara’s naked thigh. Too high up Kiara’s naked thigh for his liking. Too high up for Kiara’s liking, if her body language was anything to go by.

‘Get your hands off my girl!’ he growled, stepping further into the room.

The way the man’s head snapped around was almost comical. If there was one good thing to be said about Omega’s apartments, it was that the doors opened very quietly. Garrus watched the man’s eyes widen and his jaw gape as recognition dawned. 

‘Archangel?’

Garrus nodded. ‘I wasn’t sure you’d recognise me after so many years, Fade. Or is it simply Harkin these days?’

‘What do you want Vakarian?’

Kiara pushed Harkin’s hand off her and got to her feet. ‘I’m going to… I’ll be back in a bit.’

‘That’s easy,’ Garrus told Harkin, watching Kiara as she left the room. He wanted to ask if she was alright, but this was not the time. ‘I’m going to ask you one simple question and you are going to answer me, honestly.’

‘And if I don’t?’

‘I’ll make sure you live long enough to regret it,’ Garrus hissed threateningly

In the bedroom once more, Kiara pulled on her sweatpants before returning to the lounge. Whether it was morbid curiosity or a need to show her support for Garrus, she wasn’t quite sure. What she did know was that she needed to be there, come what may.

‘Tell me where Sidonis is hiding!’ Garrus continued.

Harkin barked a laugh. ‘And what do I get in return?’

‘Your life!’ Garrus stated, now standing over him. 

‘Citadel,’ Harkin answered. ‘Goes by Titus Boransis.’

Garrus grabbed Harkin by the throat and lifted him to his feet. Now he had the information he needed, the man was nothing but a liability. A loose end. He had given his word, though. Information for the man’s pitiful life.

‘Your payment,’ he snarled, shooting Harkin in the leg as he pushed him out the door. ‘And if I discover Lan… Titus has even the slightest notion that I am on my way, I’ll be back.’

He turned and let the door close behind him. He wanted a drink, but before that he needed to make sure Kiara was alright… and apologise for not getting there as fast as he had said he would. 

‘We could leave in the morning,’ Kiara informed him before he’d had chance to even open his mouth. ‘There’s a ship leaving at zero-three-forty.’

‘See if you can get us on it. The sooner we get this over with, the better I’ll feel.’

‘And the sooner you can go back to your old life,’ Kiara muttered.

‘If that’ what you think,’ Garrus snapped, still angry from dealing with Harkin. ‘Perhaps you don’t know me as well as you thought.’

‘And what does that mean?’ Kiara shouted back.

‘It means…’ He took a breath, trying to regain control of his emotions. ‘It means, if it’s my choice, I don’t want to leave you. But is that what you want?’

‘I don’t know,’ Kiara answered truthfully. ‘The thought of committing myself to anyone scares me. The thought of walking away from… us, scares me even more.’

Garrus wrapped his arms around her, holding her. He wanted to tell her he wouldn’t leave. He wanted to promise he would always be at her side. He said nothing.

*****

Garrus busied himself with checking the apartment; making sure they hadn’t left anything that could point to them having been there. Anything to keep his mind occupied and stop him thinking too much. In his heart, he knew this mission was nearly over… and therein lay the problem. He knew what he wanted. Truth be told, he had never been more certain about anything, but Kiara had already admitted she wasn’t sure what she hoped would happen once everything was done and dusted. Could he persuade her to give them a chance? He hoped so, but with her fear of commitment… 

‘You ready?’ Kiara called out to him. ‘If we’re going to make the ship, we should get going.’

Taking one last quick look around, satisfied that everything was in order, Garrus joined her outside the apartment. He smiled to himself when she tried to hide a yawn behind a smile. She would sleep during the journey. He was not so optimistic about his own chances. Perhaps if exhaustion overtook him.

‘I can’t say I’ll miss this place,’ Kiara commented as they walked toward the docking area.

Garrus looked down at her. ‘You sound almost sad.’

‘No,’ Kiara told him. ‘Not sad. More… I don’t know how to describe it. It feels like this is where everything really started. With us, I mean. This is where we first shared a bed. Where I first woke up in your arms. Where I thought for a second that maybe, just maybe, I could have it all.’

‘What’s stopping you?’

Kiara didn’t answer. She could spout the usual excuses about “people like her”, but truthfully she couldn’t say. Life had taken so much from her already. Wasn’t it about time it gave something back? Wasn’t is about time she took something back?

‘Marry me!’ she stated.

‘I… What?’

She could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Her mouth felt dry. She licked her lips, trying to wet them. ‘Marry me,’ she repeated. 

‘This isn’t going to sound very romantic, but… why? Last night, you…’

‘Last night, I did a lot of thinking. Kaeso and Mordin aside, I’d let no-one into my life for ten years. I thought I was happy. At least I tried to convince myself I was. Then you came along and threw all my hard work out the window. I know life can’t give me certainties and guarantees, but I’m hoping it will let me keep the man I love.’

Garrus stared at her. Had he heard right? Had she just said she loved him?

‘Could you say something?’ Kiara begged. ‘Laugh and tell me I’m an idiot if you want, but please just say something.’

Dropping the bags he was carrying, Garrus pulled her toward him and touched his forehead to hers. He should probably say something as well, but the words seemed to be getting lost somewhere between his head and his mouth. He was just going to have to hope this was answer enough.


	15. Chapter 15

Garrus paced up and down in the hotel room. Kiara had gone to get takeout - given the time, it was quicker than waiting for a delivery - but she had been gone longer than he would have expected. Had something happened to her? Spirits! He knew he should have gone too. She’d insisted though, and her reasoning had been more than sound. If Lantar spotted him, he would likely run. Who knew how long it would take to hunt him down again. 

He picked his pistol up for the seventh time (or was it the eighth) then put it straight back down again. Seconds later, he picked it up again and took it apart. The gun was spotless, inside and out, but maybe cleaning it again would keep his mind off other things. 

When he heard the door open, he jumped to his feet.

‘What happened?’ he asked as Kiara walked past him to put the bag she was carrying down on the desk.

‘I went to get takeout… and I stopped off at that kiosk for a bottle of wine. The queue there was a bit longer than I had anticipated, and then some volus had misplaced his credit chit, and…’ She smiled softly. ‘I’m sorry if I worried you.’

Grabbing the glasses from the bedside units, Garrus poured the wine. ‘Just message me next time.’

Kiara handed him two of the cartons from the bag, and a plastic fork. The other two cartons were hers. They sat on the bed, watching a film neither of them could follow, eating in silence. It was a good silence, one that didn’t need to be filled with comments or idle conversation. 

When they were finished, she took the empty cartons and tossed them into the bin.

Turning back, she found Garrus watching her. ‘Something wrong?’ she asked him, climbing back onto the bed and curling into his side.

No, there was nothing wrong. Not really. 

‘When this is all over, I’m leaving C-Sec. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now and, well… I want to know if you’ll let me work with you.’

‘You do recall the state my business is in? I can barely afford to pay Kaeso. Not that I wouldn’t love to have you join the team…’

‘I’m talking about a partnership. You and me. We’ll set up somewhere else. Somewhere less segregated. Kaeso can take control of the office side of things while we take down the bad guys.’

Kiara turned so she was facing him. ‘I can’t decide that without speaking with Kaeso first.’

Garrus nodded and pulled her back against him. He’d thought that might be her answer, and he wasn’t at all surprised. Kaeso was such a big part of her life, and her business. She wasn’t about to just rip his world out from under him.

They watched the end of the film - still not able to make head nor tail of the plot - and half of the next one before finally falling asleep right where they were.

*****

Kiara was the first to wake. She disentangled herself from Garrus’ limbs and went to take a shower, leaving him to sleep a while longer. It was strange to think that this was the end. After everything they had been through to get this far, Garrus was finally going to get the chance to confront Sidonis. She had already made up her mind that, at that point, she would step back. Whatever he wanted to do, she would support him. Strictly speaking, she was still in his employ. Which reminded her: When the hell was she going to get paid? Maybe she would speak with him about that over breakfast. Ah, who was she kidding. He’d given her something money couldn’t buy. Her life had meaning now. True meaning. If anything, she should be paying him. 

She made a mental note not to suggest that. 

By the time she walked into the main room again, Garrus was awake and looking at something on her laptop.

‘Something smells good,’ she commented, sniffing the air.

‘Coffee and croissants,’ Garrus told her, nodding to the small bag on the desk. ‘Should still be warm.’

Warm? She could see the steam rising from the bag from where she was standing, on the other side of the room. 

‘I could get used to this,’ she said, stopping to plant a kiss on his cheek as she passed by him. 

Garrus smiled. ‘I was hoping you might say that. There’s… After this is all done with, I was thinking we might take a few days to relax. Just the two of us. I hear Sur’Kesh is nice this time of year.’

‘Mordin has told me a lot about Sur’Kesh. The jungles and the waterfalls. Compared to Elysium, it sounds like heaven.’

‘I’ll take that as a yes, then.’

He went back to the laptop, making sure to keep the screen facing away from Kiara. She wondered what he was up to, but she didn’t ask. He would tell her when he was good and ready. There was no need for her to go snooping.

A little after ten, they left the hotel room together. Sidonis - Titus, as he now called himself - visited the same small bakery every morning between ten-thirty and eleven-hundred hours. Part way there, Garrus gave Kiara’s hand a quick squeeze and then disappeared down one of the smaller passages. Within seconds, he was gone from sight. Kiara kept walking. She knew what she had to do; get Sidonis talking, and away from the shop. 

Sidonis was already in the queue when she got there. She’d hoped to catch him beforehand, but not to worry. She could make this work.

Activating her omni-tool, she pulled up a map of one of the Citadel’s Wards. Not the one she was in, however. Eyes seemingly focused on the map, she walked right into her target.

‘Sorry!’ she muttered. ‘So sorry. This damn maps useless! I’ve got a job interview in…’ she stopped to check the time. ‘In ten minutes. Hell! I’m never going to make it.’

Sidonis stared down at her, not quite sure what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fifteen chapters done.  
> Thank you to everyone who has stuck it out this far, and for the comments and kudos.  
> :)


	16. Chapter 16

Garrus settled himself on the maintenance walkway and readied his sniper rifle. He could see Kiara speaking with Sidonis, and could hear every word that was said through the ear-piece he was wearing.

‘Come on!’ he muttered to himself, forgetting for a second that she could hear him too. ‘Get him away from the crowd.’ 

He wasn’t usually one given to anxiety, but it was settling in with a passion now. There were so many things that could go wrong, but it was no longer Sidonis getting away that was top of the list. What if…? 

Growling low in his throat, he closed his mind to the thoughts that were trying to invade. This would go right. It had to. If he didn’t deal with Sidonis now, he would be constantly looking over his shoulder. He would never be safe. Kiara would never be safe. That was a future he would not allow to happen.

Shifting the position of the rifle slightly, he dipped his head and looked through the scope. 

‘I’m being a pain, I know,’ he heard Kiara say, her voice apologetic. ‘But if you could just show me to the street I need to take, I’m sure I could find my way from there.’

Sidonis glanced toward the queue he’d left to help her. It was growing by the second.

‘Please?’ Kiara begged, smiling up at him.

Garrus chuckled to himself. Damn, she was good at this. Perhaps too good. It was almost scary.

After what seemed like the longest time, Sidonis relented and agreed to her request.

Garrus breathed a sigh of relief, releasing a breath he did not know he had been holding. His heart was hammering in his chest. He had not felt like this since his boot camp days, but there was so much more at stake now.  

‘So, it’s down here. First right, then third left?’ Kiara asked, keeping the conversation going just a few minutes longer.

‘First left,’ Sidonis corrected.

‘I’ve got the shot lined up,’ Garrus whispered. ‘Time to end this.’

Kiara smiled warmly up at the turian standing before her. ‘I think I’ve got it now. Thank you, and my apologies once again for being such a pain in the ass. There’s just one more thing. If you would look up there…’ Lifting her hand, she indicated where Garrus was waiting. ‘I think my friend would like to say something.’

As Sidonis looked up, Kiara stepped away from him. His eyes found Garrus; recognition dawning a second later. 

He never heard the shot.

‘I’ll meet you at hotel’ Garrus told Kiara. 

She looked up to where he had been just seconds earlier, but she couldn’t see him. ‘You alright?’

‘I will be.’

‘See you later then,’ Kiara told him, turning on her heel. ‘Just promise me one thing. Don’t do anything stupid.’

Garrus laughed. ‘I’ve got a future to look forward too. I’m not going to mess that up.’

*****

Alone in the hotel room, Kiara took the time to contact Kaeso and check in.

‘Hello, stranger,’ she smiled when his face appeared on the screen. ‘How’s my second favourite turian?’

‘Second favourite?’ Kaeso teased. ‘I’m hurt.’

‘I’m not sleeping with you. Which reminds me. Garrus asked me to be his business partner. We can discuss this more when I get back, but short version. He wants to join the company and help make it better. He talked about setting up somewhere new and… and I think he just wants to make the world a better place. Damn, that is such a cliche. And yes, he did think about you. If this goes ahead, and if you want to be a part of this new adventure, you are more than welcome.’

‘Doing what, exactly.’

‘Garrus thought you might enjoy being the public face of the business. The man the people interact with. It won’t be easy - people always want their problems solved right there and then - but I do think you are the right man for the job.’ 

She looked toward the door as it opened, smiling when Garrus walked into the room. He looked tired, but more relaxed then she had seen him. 

‘I’ll let you go,’ Kaeso told her. ‘Let me know when you’ll be back on Elysium, and I’ll meet you at the docks.’

‘You better,’ Kiara laughed. ‘I’m going to need someone to carry my bags for me.’

Closing down the laptop, she stood and walked over to Garrus. He was standing by the window, looking out.

‘You okay?’ she asked him, gently, her hand sliding easily into his.

He nodded. ‘Just taking a moment to reflect. I stopped by Pallin’s office before heading back and told him the truth about what happened back on Elysium.’

‘What happened?’

‘I showed him evidence that Sidonis was alive, unhurt and on the Citadel, along with records of communications between him and Harkin. Pallin agreed I’d been set up and called an immediate halt to the manhunt. I also handed in my resignation, so I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.’

Kiara smiled as she rested her head against his arm. ‘I can think of worse things.’

Garrus chuckled lightly. If this was what the future was going to be like, he could get used to it very easily. 

After a minute or two, Kiara stepped away from him and into the bathroom. He heard the shower going and was tempted to join her, but didn’t. He had done on a number of occasions and it was always enjoyable, but this time there was something he needed to do.

Leaving a note so she wouldn’t get worried, he slipped out of the room.

When Kiara stepped out of the shower, she pulled on one of the supplied robes and went back through to the main room. Finding Garrus’ note on one of the pillows, she smiled and went to throw on some clothes. 

Minutes later, Garrus let himself back into the room. He was carrying takeout and a bottle of wine.

‘I thought about going to a restaurant,’ he said as he poured the wine. ‘But then I realised that I didn’t want to share you with anyone. Not tonight.’

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, Kiara excused herself for a minute. She needed some time to compose herself, before she melted into a blubbering mess on the floor. This being in love business was a bitch on the emotions.

  
  



	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all of you still reading this: Sorry this chapter has been longer coming than expected. Life happened, as it often does. Enjoy.

Kaeso sat with his arms resting on the kitchen table, and his gaze fixed solely on Kiara. ‘So… Let me get this straight. You want to give up on everything we’ve built here and set up somewhere else, bringing Garrus in as a partner?’

‘That’s the general idea,’ Kiara replied around mouthfuls of croissant. ‘And, honestly, staying here isn’t going to work. No-one wanted to hire us when they found out we were a human-turian partnership. What do you think they’ll do when they find out that same human has brought another turian into the fold? They’d run us out of the colony.’

‘I guess you’re right,’ Kaeso sighed. 

Elysium was his home. It would be difficult to leave, even if the place had been less than kind to him over the years. For all her enthusiasm now, he knew she would find packing up and moving on less easy than she would ever let on. The colony had taken a heavy toll on the pair of them, but they had gained more in return. At least, he thought he had. He couldn’t speak for Kiara, but he couldn’t imagine himself having forged such a strong friendship with a human if he hadn’t had to face the hardships he had. 

‘There’s something else, too,’ Kiara added, taking hold of Garrus’ hand under the table. ‘We’re - me and Garrus, that is - we’re getting married.’

‘That’s great,’ Kaeso grinned. ‘Only…’ He turned his attention to Garrus now. ‘Aren’t your family quite traditional? Would they accept a human as your bond-mate?’

Garrus squeezed Kiara’s hand reassuringly. ‘They won’t be given the chance to interfere. We’ll be married - a human ceremony - before Kiara meets them. They’ll have something to say, I’m sure, but by then it will be too late.’

Kiara smiled weakly. On the rare occasions when she had tried to imagine herself getting married, sneaking around had never been part of the equation. Saying that, losing her entire family and all her friends in one night had never been a dream of hers either. She couldn’t imagine Garrus had ever imagined his life turning out quite as it had either. But that was the thing with life; it rarely went as you hoped. If being married to Garrus before seeking his parents’ permission to become his bond-mate made things that much easier for him, who was she to deny him that. 

‘We’re going to be heading to Sur’Kesh in a few days,’ Garrus continued. ‘The pilot will perform the ceremony on the way, but we need two people to witness the wedding. We were hoping that you might be one of them. Mordin has already agreed to be the other.’

‘Of course,’ Kaeso agreed. ‘There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for Kiara. She knows that. Plus, I get a free trip to Sur’Kesh. I’ve always wanted to see what that place looks like.’

‘That’s settled then,’ Kiara said, gathering up plates and mugs and taking them over to the sink. ‘We’ll close the business down here, and set up somewhere else. The Citadel, perhaps? They do seem more accepting there.’

*****

Sur’Kesh was every bit as beautiful as the pictures made it out to be. There was just one problem: the hotel had been overbooked and now only had a family suite available. Not only that. This new room did not have the view they - Garrus - had paid extra for, and the place was refusing to compensate them.

‘This is not good enough!’ Garrus growled, slamming his fist down on the reception desk. ‘Do you expect me to spend my wedding night with two other people in the room? There are rites to be performed, and--’

‘Garrus,’ Kiara soothed. ‘It’s going to be fine.’

‘No!’ Garrus insisted. ‘It’s not. I researched human marriage. There are… things that need to be done. Things that I would rather not do with an audience.’

‘There is a solution,’ Mordin offered, turning from the window. ‘I will show Kaeso Sur’Kesh. You go to the room and con--’

‘We get the idea, Mordin,’ Kiara said quickly, blushing furiously. 

‘Everything settled?’ the salarian receptionist asked. ‘Good. The room is right at the end of this corridor. Last door on the right. I will have someone bring your bags.’

‘We can manage them,’ Kiara said, picking up her small case.

They were only there for a few days, and then it would be back to Elysium to pack up what was left of the business. 

The salarian nodded. ‘As you wish.’

Taking Mordin and Kaeso’s bags with them, Garrus and Kiara made their way to the room. Stepping inside, they were pleasantly surprised. If Kiara had thought the hotel room back on the Citadel plush, this one was beyond description. The wood that had been used to make the dining table and chairs was similar to mahogany, but with a silvery sheen more commonly seen in weather-aged birch, and the seat cushions were upholstered in a material that favoured the dappled green of the jungle. The semi-circular sofa was covered in soft sand coloured leather and positioned to look out at the view, which was - in a word - spectacular.

‘Why didn’t the receptionist mention this?’ Kiara wondered aloud, staring at the collection of small waterfalls that ran down the otherwise featureless rock face.

‘You like it?’ Garrus asked.

Kiara smiled. ‘I love it. It’s simple. Like life should be.’

‘That would be nice,’ Garrus murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her hair. He turned her to face him and touched his forehead to hers. ‘Shall we retire to the bedroom, Mrs Vakarian?’

Silently, Kiara took his hand… and led him outside. 

‘Here?’ he questioned, looking around.

‘Here,’ Kiara whispered, moving to the pool where the waterfalls congregated. ‘I know this isn’t our first time - far from it, in fact - but I still want it to be something I’ll remember in years to come.’ She laughed, shaking her head. ‘Did I really just say that? God. What have you done to me?’

‘Quite a few things,’ Garrus smirked. ‘I can list them, if you like.’

‘Why don’t you show me, instead.’ 

Removing her clothes - letting them fall onto the stone patio - Kiara stepped into the pool. The water was not that deep; barely reaching her hips. 

After a moment’s hesitation, Garrus removed his own clothes and joined her. ‘Spirits!’ he exclaimed. ‘You could have told me it was this cold.’

Laughing, Kiara draped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. ‘You’re an intelligent turian, and a brilliant strategist. I’m sure you’ll think of some way to keep warm.’

Garrus hummed thoughtfully and pulled her close. ‘I’m sure I will.’ 


End file.
